FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT DANNY BOYLE - PAGE 2

NEW YORK/MUMBAI: Danny Boyle's movie "Slumdog Millionaire" is a hit across the world, but in India, protesters have taken to the streets to attack the film. According to a media report, several Indians find the word "Slumdog" insulting to slum-dwellers. More generally, the rags-to-riches romance has been called "poverty porn" for the way it casts a glowing light on a very poor section of Mumbai society and promotes "slum tourism. " Chitra Divakaruni, the author of "The Palace of Illusions" and a board member of Pratham, a non-profit literacy project for children living in slums in India, said: "People are accusing it of being poverty porn, or balking at the fact that Danny Boyle, who is British, has created a film about slum life that ignores India's recent economic prosperity.

LONDON: 'Wrestler' star Mickey Rourke had advised Indian actress Freida Pinto to go home on the Oscars night as the actor thought she was too young to be at the party. The Golden Globe winning actor approached Pinto at the Academy Award ceremony last February and told her to go home and sleep, FemaleFirst reported. "Mickey Rourke gave me a telling off at the Oscars. He said to me, 'It's way past your bedtime - go home,' which was funny!," Pinto said.

MUMBAI: The child actors from "Slumdog Millionaire" will attend the Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Fox Pictures executives said on Friday. The rags-to-riches story set in the slums of Mumbai has been nominated for 10 Oscar awards, including best picture and best director. James Finn of Fox Searchlight Pictures said Friday that the actors will be flown to Los Angeles and put up in a five-star hotel for two days. All nine actors who play the three main characters in three stages of their lives will attend the Oscars, said Finn.

MUMBAI: Indian gamblers are staking big money on "Slumdog Millionaire" winning the best picture, best director and best music awards at this year's Oscars, a report said on Tuesday. The Economic Times said that an estimated one billion rupees (20.5 million dollars) was riding on the outcome of the Academy Awards, for which the hit British film with an Indian cast and crew has 10 nominations. With the exception of casinos and lottery games in some states and despite Indians being among the world's most enthusiastic gamblers, organised betting is illegal in India and largely an underground activity.

Some call it the Inflection Point in the history of Indian cinema. Some slam it as Poverty Porn. But in the wee hours of Monday, India's Cinema Inc took a giant leap into global markets with Slumdog Millionaire bagging a whopping eight Oscars. Allah Rakkha Rahman became the first Indian to win two of the big Oscars, for best music score and best song, while the film also went on to bag the best director (Danny Boyle) and the best picture awards. If Rahman made waves, Resul rode them as well.

MUMBAI: Veteran Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan said he has cleared the air with the British director Danny Boyle over his perceived attitude to the Oscar-nominated film "Slumdog Millionaire". Comments posted on Bachchan's personal website that the movie, about a lowly Mumbai teaboy who wins the popular television gameshow "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?", showed India's "third-world underbelly". That was interpreted by the Indian media as a slight on Western directors and their perceptions of the country.

Brazilians are going desi with a vengeance. From bindi-and-sari clad Samba dancers at the annual carnival to a saas-bahu soap on the telly, they are boldly going where few non-subcontinental cultures have gone before ? to the heart of masala entertainment. So it's very tempting to instantly draw a connection between Brazil's sudden love for Indian exotica and the Oscar-night red carpet plaudits for Slumdog Millionaire. Both show off India's coming of age in the entertainment firmament, both offer a new window for local talent to go global and both show that we can export our brand of colourful screen spice way beyond our borders.

MUMBAI: This Slumdog's already a billionaire. If sources in betting circles are to be believed, as much as $2bn is riding on the story of Dev and Latika. Less than 2 days to the 81st Academy Awards and international betting websites are predicting that Danny Boyle's film will sweep the Oscars. The film has been nominated in 11 categories. Boyle is the favourite for best director, beating David Flincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). According to a UK-based website, Boyle's odds are 1/8, while Flincher trails at 13 to 1. In 48 hours from now, punters will feel quite like Jamal in the hot seat.

Aditya Shastri, CEO, People Pictures By now, I've learned never to underestimate director Danny Boyle. For those who've closely followed Boyle's career one can certainly see elements from Boyle's past films in Slumdog ? whether it's the distinctive editing and use of music ('Trainspotting' or '28 Days Later') or the ability to elicit believable performances from child actors (in 'Millions'). He has a unique gift.

LONDON: Bells, cows, royal barges, heads of state, celebrities, Indian corporate stalwarts...even a coffee with Karan, telling people why he loves London. After a rather wet start, London is geared up for the Olympics. In case anyone oversleeps their alarm, Friday starts at 8 am, when the whole country is expected to join into a mammoth bell-ringing frenzy for 3 minutes. Everyone - from expert change ringers to children with doorbells and handbells to sports fans from all over the world - is expected to ring the official ringtone, All the Bells, by Turner prize-winning artist Martin Creed.